Here is a diversion from the typical Runnymede blog article. My friend and fellow Chatham High School alumnus, Sean Kelly, brought this story to my attention and it so touched me that I am compelled to share it with you.
Perhaps I can relate to what you are about to read because I am Asian American or because I drove over the Tobin Bridge commuting to work for two years. Perhaps I am deeply inspired because my father, Samson, immigrated to the United States, excelled in school, and earned his degree from Yale University. Perhaps, that is where the similarities end. However, no matter your personal experience or background, I believe that the story of brothers Johnny and George Huynh is an incredible tale of the American dream, one that includes overcoming unimaginable odds, struggling in poverty, and working hard to better one's life.
For the benefit of those not familiar with Twitter, I am including the Twitter feed of Boston Globe reporter Billy Baker who began tweeting an update to his 2011 article yesterday. While Billy gives the boys all the credit that they deserve, we are also witness to the significance of good mentoring. A link to the original article and a video appear at the end. Please read on.
I'm going to tell you a story.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
Two years ago, I was standing in Dorchester, in a rough neighborhood, and I saw the #19 bus drive by.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
I knew immediately that it was no ordinary bus. This was a special bus. It was a bus that is a symbol of hope for many from Boston.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
I know that bus all too well. I took one just like it for six years. It was the bus to Boston Latin School.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
I was in Dorchester because I'd spent months working on a series about the #19 bus, which travels through many neighborhoods of struggle.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
But once a day, that bus transformed into the charter bus to Boston Latin School, one of the great symbols of hope in this city.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
At that moment, I was looking for hope. I had seen some rough things. A lot of people who saw no end to their struggle.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
And I wanted to end the series on a positive note. When I saw that bus go by, I knew immediately that I had found my story.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
I rode the bus for a while, talked to the kids on it, went fishing for the right story for this series.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
Then one day I met a man named Emmett Folgert, who runs the Dorchester Youth Collaborative, and he told me he had the perfect kids.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
Emmett Folgert is a lot like Boston Latin School. He lowers a ladder down into a pit for kids who have nothing, and helps them climb out.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
So one day, I went to Emmett's office and met the kids, two brothers named Johnny and George Huynh.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
They were quiet. They didn't quite know what was going on. But Emmett told them that their story was important. They agreed to share it.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
I spent weeks with Johnny and George. I went to school with them. I went home with them. I ate dinners with them. Slowly, they opened up
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
Their home life was extraordinarily difficult. Their parents had come from Vietnam and their father had fought alongside the US.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
After the war, they went through incredible struggle, finally making their way to the US in 1992. But their problems did not end.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
There were cultural problems. There were mental health problems. There were problems in the marriage. And there were huge money problems.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
But they had three children, Johnny and George, and an older sister.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
The kids grew up inside that struggle. Food was always short. So was money. They had nothing. I've never seen anything like it.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
Shortly before I met the boys, their father had taken his own life. He jumped off the Tobin Bridge in Boston.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
That left them alone with their mother. She didn't speak English. They didn't speak much Vietnamese. They were alone in their own house.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
Their mother had a mental disability, so they raised themselves, and they did it right. They got themselves up, got to school, and got A's.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
Watching these kids make good from almost nothing was the most special thing I've ever seen as a journalist.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
The opportunity to share their story was a great privilege. And it got a huge response. Huge. I wasn't the only ones touched by them.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
Here's a link to the article I wrote: http://t.co/mMwheRtTyi. And here's a link to the video @laurenfrohne made: http://t.co/lc9XQIfvMf
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
They were worried about having money to buy the paper, so the night before, I took them to the Globe and let them pull it off the press.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
After the story ran, our story was just beginning.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
I stayed close to the boys, partly out of an obligation, but mostly because I cared about them. They inspired me. And they were fun.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
But I also became something of a mentor to them. Freed from my constraints as a journalist, I could step into their lives and help.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
They had little cracks to fill, crazy things I never had to think of. I paid for prom tickets and Christmas gifts and dinners.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
They paid me back in so many ways, mostly by just keeping their head down and doing their work, like they had always done.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
When I first met them, Johnny was a junior and George was a sophomore. Johnny graduated last year and went to UMass-Amherst.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
I drove Johnny to college and bought him a dorm fridge. These are the cracks I'm talking about. George came along for the ride.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
And Emmett Folgert became a mentor to me, teaching me how to mentor. Stay on them, he'd say. Stay in touch. Ask questions. So I did.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
As college time rolled around for George, I became involved. I helped him with his essays. Did the sort of stuff a parent would do.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
And George was shooting high. Very high. His grades were outstanding. His story was compelling. He wanted to go all the way to the top.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
Which brings us to today. Today is a very special day for George. A day he's worked his whole life to get to.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
We've been trading texts all day. We were both nervous. He had applied for early acceptance to his dream school. At 5 p.m., he would hear.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
As 5 rolled around, I started pacing around the Globe. I went to get coffee. I bit my fingernails.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
I told him that no matter what happens, he had done all he could. And we'd go to dinner regardless. Either way, we had to celebrate.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
Shortly after 5, he texted me: I GOT IN. I was sitting at my desk, and I started crying.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
These boys are the nearest I've ever come to that thing we call The American Dream. But this was too much. George got into Yale.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
Rather than continue blabbering at my desk, I've retreated to the cafeteria to share this story.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
On Facebook, George wrote: “Yale University!!!! Thank you to everyone who's helped me get here!” I wrote: “You got there on your own, bud.”
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
I have a tough time putting their story into words. It's about hope, sure. But it's about helping yourself. These boys did. We all can.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
So now I'm going to stop crying at my computer, I'm going to sneak out the door, then I'm going to take George out to celebrate.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
Sorry for flooding you with this experiment. But it's a story about what's right when we spend too much time writing about what's wrong.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
So I'm going to head down Dot Ave. to Geneva Avenue, one of the toughest streets in Boston, and take George out. He deserves it.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
I'll check back in later with some photos and updates. I'm so proud of this kid I can't even stand it. He's getting a big hug.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 16, 2013
Say hi to George, everyone. “Smile if you just got accepted to Yale!” pic.twitter.com/ZhKAGirkhk
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 17, 2013
So we've had a chaotic hour. We went to see Emmett. George received about a million texts. And then we spent forever deciding where to eat.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 17, 2013
And we've ended up at Wahlburgers! Seems fitting for a Dorchester kid made good to celebrate with a burger cooked by a Wahlberg.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 17, 2013
Plus the burgers come with government cheese.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 17, 2013
So how does he feel? “What can I say? It feels amazing. I've been nervous all day. Nervously confident.”
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 17, 2013
I forgot to mention the other big thing that happened to George today: He got his braces off.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 17, 2013
Just explaining to George what I wrote earlier, because he just looked at his own a Twitter and can't figure out why he has new followers.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 17, 2013
So I hit my @ button. We scrolled and scrolled and only covered the last four minutes of replies. He's so confused. But happy.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 17, 2013
Talking to George about why he thinks his story has touched so many: “It's just the classic story of the underdog.” Right. But…
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 17, 2013
I've always thought it was a story of opportunity. He had fewer than most, but he took advantage of them all. There's a lesson there.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 17, 2013
George wants me to stop “Tweeting about me when I'm right in front of you.”
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 17, 2013
So I'm going to sign off for a bit. Thanks for experiencing this with me. And thank you George for being you.
— Billy Baker (@billy_baker) December 17, 2013
Click this link for Billy Baker's article: Brothers seek a way up and out
Watch the video Bus 19: The way up
I wish you hope and many blessings this holiday season. Happy New Year!
photo credit: Nina Matthews Photography via photopin cc
